By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The No. 6 LSU women’s basketball team rolled past Texas A&M 98-54 on Thursday night at Reed Arena in College Station, winning its fourth straight game.
Offensively, LSU couldn’t be stopped as it shot 49.3% on the night, making 36-of-73 shots. The Tigers also did an exceptional job of sharing the ball, dishing out 22 assists, their most in SEC play yet.
Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley led the team in scoring with 23 points on the night.
“I thought Lay came in and she’s always going to give you a spark,” Mulkey said after the win. “God blessed her with unbelievable speed and quickness and if you’re going to be on the floor with her, you better be ready to get up and go.”
Freshman forward Grace Knox was perfect on the night as she scored 19 points on 9-of-9 shooting.
Senior forward Amiya Joyner recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Junior guard Mikaylah Williams only had 4 points, but she helped the offense go, totaling a career-high 9 assists tonight. Mulkey said Williams has a unique ability to pass.
“Have you ever seen her throw a softball? She could have played at the highest level in softball,” Mulkey said. “She can flick her wrist, she can flip it like a softball. You better get your hands ready. She sees the floor and through the lane extremely well.”
LSU (18-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) closed the game out comfortably over the final 10 minutes, outscoring Texas A&M (8-7, 1-5 SEC) 20-13 in the fourth quarter.
LSU continued to roll in the third quarter as the Aggies struggled to get stops defensively. LSU led 61-35 after shooting 8-of-14 in the opening six minutes. In the last four minutes of the quarter, the Tigers outscored the Aggies 22-6 to take a 78-41 lead into the final period. Knox was perfect in the quarter, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
LSU’s lead grew to double digits after freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson made a pair of free throws to make it 23-12. The Tigers then went on a 10-3 run to build a commanding 33-15 lead with 4:27 left. Texas A&M did little to slow the momentum, turning the ball over 10 times in the quarter. help themselves as they turned the ball over 10 times in the quarter. Fulwiley scored 7 in the period and the Tigers went into the half up 41-23.
Texas A&M took a quick 4-0 lead to open the game up, but it was short-lived. Knox scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 4-4 remaining in the first. The Tigers took their first lead of the night after senior guard Flau’jae Johnson converted an and-one opportunity to make it 7-6. Fulwiley checked into the game at the five-minute mark and immediately made an impact, knocking down three straight three-pointers to extend the LSU lead to eight with 3:00 remaining. The Tigers closed the quarter with a 21-12 lead. Fulwiley had 9 points after one.
The Tigers are back in action on Monday as they host Florida (13-8, 1-5 SEC) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (7 p.m., SEC Network).
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